Thankful

A few of my Canadian friends reminded me that it was Thanksgiving this weekend. So not on my radar. In Tirol there are autumn community celebrations called Erntedankfest to give thanks for the harvest, but it revolves around drinking and eating outside in the village center, not an at-home family event. There is no set date; each community fits it in around the zillions of other drinking/eating (in that order) outdoor festivals.

So thanks for the reminder. And here is my list of some of the other things I am thankful for:

• The first, of course, is family and friends. The close people in my life. Through the pain and problems, happiness and successes, laughter and tears, they are always there for me.  And, I  hope, I am there for them.
• The kindness of strangers. Many times in my life I have been helped or cheered by a simple kindness of someone I do not know. Especially here when it is hard for me to communicate and when many people lose patience quickly, I appreciate these small acts of goodness.
• Being Canadian. I really love that I grew up in Canada. I love coming home (it will always be home) and being around my own particular brand of humans. Our stereotypes tend to be true (friendly, overly apologetic, paternalistic) and they are good things. Far from perfect (of course I must say that, else I wouldn’t sound Canadian), but overall I think that Canada may be the best place in the world to grow up.
• My European adventure. Speaking of far from perfect…. Nonetheless, I am deeply, deeply grateful for everything that this crazy time has brought into my life.  
• The mountains. My first and always love is water, whether ocean or lake. But these mountains sure are giving that preference a run for its money. Every different light or shift in weather brings a new, beautiful scene for me to appreciate.
• The Internet (Now there is a 21st Century girl for you…appreciating mountains and ocean and computers in the same breath.) Being able to communicate with my expanding network of friends around the world, discovering the most fascinating, inspirational people through their blogs, having access to any little thing I want to know more about, and having an outlet for my desire to write. All possible  for me with the push of a button and a click of the mouse. Magic.
• And I couldn’t, of course, end this list without being thankful that I have the opportunity to be a mom. Annie is snuggled here beside me, wiped out in front of the  TV after a ridiculously active day with us and cousin Lilli.  I never really knew that I wanted this until she was here, and now it is the thing I am most thankful for.

I’m also thankful that you are reading this blog. The older I get the more I realize that creative persuits are an integral part of me being a whole and happy human. Thanks for sharing this with me. I really, really appreciate it.